The preliminary clinical effectiveness of percutaneous kyphoplasty/ percutaneous vertebroplasty in the treatment of stage III of Kümmell's disease without nerve injury

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and radiographic outcomes of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP)/percutaneous vertebroplasty (PKP) in the treatment of stage Ⅲ Kummell's disease without nerve injury. Methods From September 2012 to September 2016, there were 28 patients with stage Ⅲ Kummell's disease recruited to study, of which 16 patients were treated with PKP and the other 12 cases with PVP. with a mean age of 78, ranging from 67 to 95, consisted of 3 males and 29 females. All patients had single vertebral body lesions without symptom of spinal cord injury.Visual analogue scores (VAS) and oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) were recorded before surgery, on the 7 d after surgery and at the last follow-up. Meanwhile, Cobb angles, anterior and posterior heights of the injured vertebral body were measured by X-ray lateral radiography at these three time points. Furthermore, the condition of bone cement in the injured vertebral body was observed with the postoperative CT examination. Results All patients completed the operation safely. Twenty-eight patients were followed up for an average of 18 months (ranging from 12 to 36 months), and 4 patients who failed to be followed up were not included in the statistic analysis. There was no vessel or nerve injury in the operation. Thirteen out of 28 individuals who suffered from bone cement leakage showed no clinical symptom, and recovered walking ability between 12 and 24h after operation. Other types of vertebral body fractures due to compression occurred in 3 cases between 6 and 12 months after surgery, and the symptoms were relieved after another PKP. The rates of improvement at the last follow-up in VAS and ODI were 71.4%(20/28) and 67.9%(19/28), respectively. There was statistical difference in VAS between before surgery and 7d after surgery (t=16.68, P 0.05). Conclusions PKP/PVP may relieve the clinical symptoms safely and effectively of stage Ⅲ Kummell's disease without nerve injury, and may correct heights of kyphosis and vertebral. Nevertheless, it may lead to loss of correction and high rate of bone cement leakage. Further observation is needed for the long-term effectiveness. Key words: Kummell's disease; Vertebroplasty; Osteoporosis